Satturday July 5th. 1806
I rose at day light this morning despatched Labeach after
a Buck which he killed late last evening; and I [went] with
the three men who I had Sent in serch of a ford across the
West fork of Clarks river, and examined each ford neither of
them I thought would answer to pass the fork without wetting
all the loads. near one of those places pointed out by Colter
I found a practiable foard and returned to camp, ordered every
thing packed up and after Brackfast we set out passed 5
chanels of the river which is divided by small Islands in
passing the 6th. & last chanel Colter['s] horse swam and with
some dificuelty he made the Opposite Shore, Shannon took a
different derection from Colter rained his horse up the stream
and passed over very well I derected all to follow Shannon
and pass quartering up the river which they done and passed
over tolerably well the water running over the back of the
2 smaller horses only. unfortunately my trunk & portmantue
containing Sea otter Skins flags some curosites & necessary
articles in them got wet, also an esortment of Medicine, and
my roots, about 1 mile [further] we struck the East fork
which had fallen and was not higher than when we passed it
last fall. we had not proceeded up this fork more than 1 mile
cer we struck the road by which we passed down last fall and
kept it at one mile we crossed the river at a very good foard
and continued up on the East Side to the foot of the Mountain
nearly opposite flour Cr[e]ek & halted to let our horses
graze and dry our wet articles. I saw fresh sign of 2 horses
and a fire burning on the side of the road. I prosume that
those indians are spies from the Shoshones. Shannon & Crusat
killed each a deer this morning and J. Shields killed a female
Ibex or bighorn on the side of the Mountain, this Animal was
very meager. Shannon left his tomahawk at the place he
killed his deer. I derect him to return for it and join me in
the Vally on the East side of this mountain. gave Shields
permission to proceed on over to the 1
st Vally and there hunt
untill my arival this evening at that place, after drying every
article which detained us untill 1/2 past 4 P.M. we packed up
and crossed the Mountain into the vally [where] we first met
with the flatheads here I overtook Shields he had not killed
anything. I crossed the river which heads in a high peecked
mountain covered with Snow N.E. of the Vally at about 20
Miles. (
See note) Shields informed me that the Flat head
indians passed up the small creek which we came down last
fall about 2 miles above our Encampment of the 4
h. & 5
th. of
Sep
t. I proceeded up this South branch 2 Miles and encamped
on the E. side of the Creek, and sent out several men to examine
the road. Shields returned at dark and informed me
that the best road turned up the hill from the creek 3 Miles
higher up, and appeared to be a plain beaten parth. as this
rout of the
Oat-lash-shoots can be followed it will evidently
shorten our rout at least 2 days and as the indians informed
me last fall [it is] a much better rout than the one we came
out. at all events I am deturmined to make the attempt and
follow their trail if possible if I can prosue it my rout will be
nearer and much better than the one we came from the Shoshones,
& if I should not be able to follow their road; our
rout can't possibly be much wors. The hunters killed two
deer this evening. The after part of the day we only come 8
miles makeing a total of
20 Miles. Shannon came up about
sunset haveing found his tomahawk.
